The Trojan War by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
War is a battle. A battle that we should shun. War causes
destruction and destruction isn't what the world needs. Battles are
inevitable. Each day we have a battle to face and most likely, that's
ourselves. That has caused great destruction among us but it has taught us to
be a better and stronger person. Either way, it shouldn't be a reason to start
a war.
Ahhh... The Trojan War, the great war
that marked our literature books. The war that has continued to fascinate
humans over the centuries. A war that we'll never forget. The battle of
both powerful kingdoms. The battle of the Sparta and Troys. But was it also
supposed to mark our history books too or is it just pure imagination from the
great Homer, the writer of the Iliad and Odyssey?
The story of the Trojan War
involves creatures never seen before, people who we never thought of, immortals
who we doubt its existence and many more. We have too little proof, too
little data, but that we also have too much. The Greek epics, Hittite records, Luwian poetry,
and archaeological remains provide evidence not of a single Trojan war but
rather of multiple wars that were fought in the area that we identify as Troy.
According to the Greek literary evidence,
there were at least two Trojan Wars, Heracles’ and Agamemnon’s. And, according
to the archaeological evidence, Troy was destroyed twice, if not three times,
between 1300 and 1000 BCE. Some of this has long been known; the rest has come
to light more recently. Thus, although we cannot definitively point to a
specific “Trojan War,” at least not as Homer has described it in the Iliad and
the Odyssey, we have instead found several such Trojan wars and several cities
at Troy, enough that we can conclude there is a historical kernel of truth of
some sort underlying all the stories.
One question remains in my mind, could this 10
year war all happen just because of a woman? Could all of it been
instigated only by the kidnapping of a single person? Because I really doubt
it. Could the war perhaps be triggered by some other event? One can argue
that the Trojan War would inevitably have taken place, with or
without Helen. Some theories say that the presumptive kidnapping of Helen
can be seen merely as an excuse to launch a pre-ordained war for control of
land, trade, profit, and access to the Black Sea. From all the made-up
stories and possibly true ones, how can we tell right?
Actuality or fantasy, the Trojan War has taught
me one or few things and that is, to be careful, to be wise and I should
think twice about every step I make. I have to learn how to control
everything that surrounds me because a little mistake can turn into something
more.
"Big things come in small packages"
they say and somehow it's supposed to be a really good and kind thing to
say but this statement also applies to this story quite well. A little mistake
in picking a gift to wrap has sparked a 10 year battle where people get hurt
and expire. I learned to be careful with my actions. To think about my
decisions. To extend my empathy and this story also strengthened one of my most
valuable principles, YOU SHALL NOT BE INSENSITIVE, even to people you don't
know.
The Trojan War might not be real but it
has taught us good and valuable lessons though it also includes some parts that
we really have to think twice on. Those parts taught us how to be
wise and not to be as crazy as Aphrodite. As we all read, Aphrodite wasn't
really everyone's favorite god in this story and that has taught me a lot of
things about being a better person. Know what is worthy and what isn't. Taught
me to empathize even though it goes against another one of my principles but if
it makes me better than Aphrodite, then so be it. War will never be an answer
so we shouldn't be a reason to start it. Real or not, all the values were definitely real.
References
- Oxford
University Press 2019, The Trojan War: Fact or Fiction Available
from: <https://blog.oup.com/2013/05/trojan-war-fact-or-fiction/> [30
October 2019]
- Wikipedia
2019, The Trojan War Available from:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_War> [30 October 2019]
 |
| The Trojan War by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo |
Ahhh... The Trojan War, the great war
that marked our literature books. The war that has continued to fascinate
humans over the centuries. A war that we'll never forget. The battle of
both powerful kingdoms. The battle of the Sparta and Troys. But was it also
supposed to mark our history books too or is it just pure imagination from the
great Homer, the writer of the Iliad and Odyssey?
The story of the Trojan War
involves creatures never seen before, people who we never thought of, immortals
who we doubt its existence and many more. We have too little proof, too
little data, but that we also have too much. The Greek epics, Hittite records, Luwian poetry,
and archaeological remains provide evidence not of a single Trojan war but
rather of multiple wars that were fought in the area that we identify as Troy.
According to the Greek literary evidence,
there were at least two Trojan Wars, Heracles’ and Agamemnon’s. And, according
to the archaeological evidence, Troy was destroyed twice, if not three times,
between 1300 and 1000 BCE. Some of this has long been known; the rest has come
to light more recently. Thus, although we cannot definitively point to a
specific “Trojan War,” at least not as Homer has described it in the Iliad and
the Odyssey, we have instead found several such Trojan wars and several cities
at Troy, enough that we can conclude there is a historical kernel of truth of
some sort underlying all the stories.
One question remains in my mind, could this 10
year war all happen just because of a woman? Could all of it been
instigated only by the kidnapping of a single person? Because I really doubt
it. Could the war perhaps be triggered by some other event? One can argue
that the Trojan War would inevitably have taken place, with or
without Helen. Some theories say that the presumptive kidnapping of Helen
can be seen merely as an excuse to launch a pre-ordained war for control of
land, trade, profit, and access to the Black Sea. From all the made-up
stories and possibly true ones, how can we tell right?
Actuality or fantasy, the Trojan War has taught
me one or few things and that is, to be careful, to be wise and I should
think twice about every step I make. I have to learn how to control
everything that surrounds me because a little mistake can turn into something
more.
"Big things come in small packages"
they say and somehow it's supposed to be a really good and kind thing to
say but this statement also applies to this story quite well. A little mistake
in picking a gift to wrap has sparked a 10 year battle where people get hurt
and expire. I learned to be careful with my actions. To think about my
decisions. To extend my empathy and this story also strengthened one of my most
valuable principles, YOU SHALL NOT BE INSENSITIVE, even to people you don't
know.
The Trojan War might not be real but it
has taught us good and valuable lessons though it also includes some parts that
we really have to think twice on. Those parts taught us how to be
wise and not to be as crazy as Aphrodite. As we all read, Aphrodite wasn't
really everyone's favorite god in this story and that has taught me a lot of
things about being a better person. Know what is worthy and what isn't. Taught
me to empathize even though it goes against another one of my principles but if
it makes me better than Aphrodite, then so be it. War will never be an answer
so we shouldn't be a reason to start it. Real or not, all the values were definitely real.
References
- Oxford University Press 2019, The Trojan War: Fact or Fiction Available from: <https://blog.oup.com/2013/05/trojan-war-fact-or-fiction/> [30 October 2019]
- Wikipedia 2019, The Trojan War Available from: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_War> [30 October 2019]
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